A Tory MP has suggested that some of the aid given to Jamaica, Pakistan, Nigeria, Somalia, India and Bangladesh should be conditional on them taking back their citizens who are prisoners in British jails.

Philip Hollobone (Kettering) also called on ministers to spend some of the £900 million aid money to those countries on building prisons in them "so they can take their people back".

Mr Hollobone claimed Britain spends £100 million on the 2,900 prisoners of those nationalities currently in UK jails, accounting for a quarter of all foreign national offenders.

But International Development Minister Alan Duncan said his "deeply political" suggestion would "seriously undermine" poverty and stability programmes in those countries.

Mr Duncan said more than 19,000 foreign national offenders have been returned to their home countries under the coalition Government.

During international development questions, Mr Hollobone said: "Between them, these six countries account for 2,900 foreign national offenders in Britain's prisons, which is over a quarter of the foreign national offender total, at an annual cost of some £100 million.

"Would the department agree to use some of the £900 million spent annually on these countries on insisting on compulsory prisoner transfer agreements as a condition of that aid and on building prisons in those countries so they can take their people back?"

Mr Duncan replied: "There is no straightforward correlation between the practicality of building a prison abroad and the number of UK-based prisoners from that country.

"We do not make our aid conditional on securing a prisoner transfer agreement with these such countries.

"To do so would seriously undermine our poverty and stability programmes and, in any case, they are deeply political and very complicated to negotiate.

"However, more than 19,000 foreign national offenders have been returned since 2010."